


I wanna get to the story of our relationship, the evolution from enemy to friends (to lovers)

by tvheit



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Buck holds Night at the Museum in high regard, Dialogue Heavy, Eddie's just along for the ride, Established Relationship, Gen, Halloween, Humor, M/M, No one understands their costumes, Slice of Life, Slight Canon Divergence, matching costumes, set sometime ambiguously in s2, sometimes it be like that!, the 118 have a party at the station
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 08:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21267959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvheit/pseuds/tvheit
Summary: There's a Halloween party, which means there are costumes, and Buck's got the best idea for him and Eddie.If only everyone else in his life was cultured enough.





	I wanna get to the story of our relationship, the evolution from enemy to friends (to lovers)

**Author's Note:**

> heads up: If you haven't watched the night at the museum movies, this story will still make sense. all you gotta know is that the little cowboy dude and roman guy have Something going on and it's called love

“I don’t understand,” Chimney says, looking at them. Buck tips his hat at him. “How is that a couples costume?”

“Come on,” Buck says, throwing his hands in the air. “We’re dressed as the most iconic couple in modern-day cinema.”

“You’re dressed as a cowboy. Eddie’s got some Roman thing going on. How is this a couple’s costume? They aren’t even from the same time period.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. Buck can’t tell if he’s rolling them at him or Chimney. Probably both.

“Night at the Museum? Jedediah and Octavius?” Buck continues, and Chimney just keeps staring blankly at him. “Eddie, back me up here.”

“You’re on your own,” Eddie tells him. Buck sniffs.

“You’re a shitty boyfriend,” he informs the other man, who just grins at him.

“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting,” Maddie says, descending. She’s gone for simplistic, with cat ears and a large sweater that just reads _IM A CAT_. Buck thinks it’s boring.

“You look boring,” he says. Maddie flips him off.

“You look stupid,” she replies, “What’s the cowboy deal?”

“I’m matching with Eddie,” Buck says proudly. Maddie raises her eyebrows.

“Buck, I know in a contest of smarts between you and an ostrich, an ostrich would probably win, but seriously. Your costumes are form two completely different historical time periods.”

Buck groans. “You too? Why is _nobody_ in my life cultured? Look, Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller.”

“What about it?” Maddie says, grabbing her bag off the counter and hooking arms with Chimney, who grins sappily at her. Buck pretends to gag at them and gets a light admonishing slap from Eddie.

“There’s two little guys in it,” he continues as they leave Maddie’s place and walk out into the crisp October air, “Jedediah and Octavius. Arguably the most iconic couple of this century.”

“Just now you said they were the most iconic couple of modern-day cinema,” Chim interrupts, “Now they’re the most iconic in the century? Which is it?”

“In my opinion,” Buck replies, “They’re the most iconic couple ever.”

“Can’t be that iconic if we’ve never heard of them.”

“Shut up. Your costume sucks, anyway. You’re just going as yourself from two years ago.”

“Two years ago,” Chimney says, “I had a bar of rebar through my head.”

“And now history is repeating itself,” Buck says, looking at the fake rebar sticking out of Chimney’s forehead. “Points for imagination.”

Eddie laughs at that, and Buck turns and knocks shoulders with him, like they were schoolkids.

“Hey, it’s better than going as a couples costume that doesn’t make any sense,” Chimney says.

“Have you actually watched the Night at the Museum movies, Chim?” Eddie asks, finally speaking up. Buck could kiss him.

“No, I haven’t,” Chimney says, at the same time that Maddie says, “Movies? There are more than one?”

“You bet your ass there’s more than one,” Buck says proudly, “It’s a trilogy.”

“See, don’t knock us until you’ve seen it,” Eddie tells Chimney, who puts his hands up in mock surrender.

“Trilogy,” Maddie repeats in the same tone of voice someone has when saying _gastric surgery_.

“Have a movie night,” Buck informs her, “Eddie has the Blu-ray boxset collection. He can lend it to you.”

“I don’t want to,” Maddie says.

“Come on,” Buck wheedles, “I’ll watch it too.”

“So I have to watch Night at the Museum _and_ you’re gonna be there?”

“I’m your brother!” Buck gasps. “Don’t you want to spend quality time with me?”

“Buck,” Maddie says lovingly, “We spent several months on each other’s couches. I think that’s enough quality time together for a lifetime, don’t you think?”

Chimney slows down and falls into step alongside Eddie, who’s watching the Buckley siblings argue with amusement from behind.

“They’re such a handful,” Eddie says, but there’s no mistaking the adoration in his voice, “Must be a genetic thing.”

“Yeah,” Chimney says, smiling as well, “Aren’t we lucky to have them?”

“Oh, no doubt about it, brother.”

* * *

They arrive at the firehouse with minimal fuss, and it looks appropriately spooky, with cotton cobwebs hanging from every corner and black and orange tinsel strewn across the trucks.

“Hey team,” someone calls from behind then and they turn to see Bobby. He’s wearing a cape with a high collar, a bloodied white shirt, which is neatly pressed, and holding a large plate of lasagne.

“Hey yourself, Cap,” Chimney says, “You’re in the spirit this year.” Bobby shrugs, smiling amicably.

“Athena and Michael insisted. It’s Michael’s, I’m just borrowing it,” he says, and then registers Chimney’s costume for the first time.

“Chim,” he says, looking torn between shock and hysterics, and then decides that his lasagne took precedence. 

“I know, right?” Buck says empathically, “He’s just going at himself.”

“I mean,” Bobby says as they stroll into the firehouse, “You can certainly consider this a version of himself.”

They manage to make it to the tables, already heaving with food. Other members of the 118 and their guests mill about in costume, chatting, and someone’s hooked their phone up to the speaker system, playing what sounds like a spooky Halloween themed playlist presumably put together by Spotify rather than a real human being with taste. Bobby manages to find the singular empty spot on the table through magic or sheer willpower, finally putting down his tray.

“Right,” he says, and turns to Buck and Eddie, who have just been following him, “Nice costumes, by the way.”

“Thanks, Cap,” Eddie says good naturedly, adjusting his headgear, “Always though I looked hot in a skirt.”

“I thought Buck would have made you two match, though,” Bobby says, and Buck groans, stopping in his quest to grab as many tiny eyeball pastries to correct Bobby. 

“Oh, here we go,” Eddie says.  
  
“We _are_ matching,” Buck says, gesticulating and accidentally throwing one of the said pastries into the ether. Bobby raises an eyebrow at him.

“Gladiators and cowboys are considered matching costumes nowadays?” He says, “Aren’t they people from two different time periods and locations?”

“Night at the Museum,” Buck starts, and then gives up, shoving the handful of tiny pastries into his mouth. Eddie lets out a snort.

“We’re characters from a movie,” he takes over the explanation, and Buck nods vigorously, “Octavius and Jedediah from Night at the Museum.”

“Mrrmgh umrn ig hmmsry,” Buck says.

“Most iconic couple in history,” Eddie translates.

“I haven’t watched that movie,” Bobby replies, “But I’ll take your word for it.”

“I don’t get it,” Buck says, as Bobby leaves in search of Athena, “Why hasn’t anyone seen Night at the Museum?”

Eddie pats his shoulder.

* * *

More and more people pour into the firehouse over the next hour, the music gets louder and slightly better, and to Buck’s increasing frustration, no one he’s talking to understands his and Eddie’s costumes.

“If they haven’t watched the movie, it’s the whole ‘two different time periods’ bullshit,” he says morosely, cradling his punch cup. They’re leaning on the balcony, watching the party below. “If they have, they don’t remember it well enough. How do you forget the two best characters in the movie?”

“Buck,” Eddie says, arm around his shoulders, and Buck leans into him with a sigh, “I think you’re asking too much. I think we look great, okay?”

He plants a quick kiss to the top of Buck’s head, and Buck grins a little.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says, and then yells, “Hey, Athena!”

Athena looks up from where she’s spooning punch into her own cup. She’s dressed in a velvet dress with cobweb lace sleeves and a pointy hat. She looks great.

“Do you think Eddie and I look cute when we match like this?” Buck yells again.

“I don’t know what kind of anachronistic shit you guys are pulling,” She calls back, “Let’s just assume you’re both handsome men and leave it at that.” She finishes filling up her cup and sweeps away into the crowd.

Buck stares at her as she leaves.

“I don’t even know what that word _means_,” he says in confusion, and Eddie breaks down laughing.

* * *

“Hen finally showed up,” Chimney walks by to tell them, “They got caught in traffic.”

“What’s new,” Buck says, hopping off the couch, “Wanna go downstairs?”

“Yep,” Eddie replies. He took off his headgear a while ago, due to the weight of it, so he turns over and grabs it, putting it back on. Buck grins at him.

They make their way down, and after wandering around the crowd for a while spot Hen and Karen chatting with Chimney, Maddie, Bobby and Athena near the back.

“Hey!” Eddie hollers, and they both run over, where they get pulled into hugs almost immediately.

“You guys look _great_,” Buck says when they finally untangle themselves from each other. They do, in matching sparkly NASA jumpsuits, Hen’s a reddish hue and Karen’s a blue one. “I don’t know what you guys are, but you look great.”

“Thank you,” Hen says, beaming, “Alpha Centauri.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Buck says. Hen rolls her eyes.

“Alpha Centauri,” Hen repeats, laughing, “The closest star system to us. From here, it looks like one star, but it’s actually two, orbiting each other, like two lovers.”

“Wow,” Eddie says, and from Buck’s slack-jawed, soft expression he feels the same way, “That’s. Really cool.”

“Of course, there’s actually three stars, but Danny had to go to bed and this is a no kids party,” Karen adds, and they all laugh.

When the laughter dies down, Hen looks at Buck and Eddie, up and down.

“I like your costumes, too,” she says, grinning at them. Buck groans.

“Don’t even start –”

“Jedediah and Octavius. The most iconic couple in modern-day cinema,” Hen continues.

“It’s not different time periods, _okay_\- wait, what?” Buck stops, staring at her. Hen raises an eyebrow.

“Night at the Museum? The little plastic dudes?” She says, “That’s what you guys are, right?” 

“Y-Yeah,” Buck says, at a loss.

“You’ve watched Night at the Museum?” Chimney asks. Hen shrugs.

“We have the complete box set collection at home,” She says, pointing between her and Karen, “Danny likes it as well.” 

“Eddie has the Blu-ray version of that,” Buck says, and Hen and Karen just look at each other and nod, as if it all makes sense.

“Look, I don’t know much about cowboys, Romans, or men,” Karen says, “But whatever those two guys had going on? That’s love.”

“I. Yeah,” Buck says, and looks at Eddie. “Is it?”

“Yeah,” Eddie smiles back, as the rest of the group groan good-naturedly and disperse into the buzz of the party, “It is.”

**Author's Note:**

> title from NaTM, which jedediah says to octavius in the 2nd movie. they're gay, fellas. happy halloween!


End file.
